


Knight's Tale

by starmini



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 08:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6846850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starmini/pseuds/starmini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucy is back from a mission, wanting to spend a quiet day catching up on her writing. Yet, her writer's block is preventing her. She seeks inspiration to continue her story, but discovers another tale that might hold a reminder to why she started writing in the first place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knight's Tale

 

Lucy put her pen down and stretched her arms above her head. She had spent most of the morning editing her latest chapter in her novel. Her excitement for her work grew, for she finally had time to work on the ideas that had been brimming in her head. Thanks to the surprisingly successful mission yesterday, her rent was paid, her fridge was filled, and her worries were put off for another month.

Looking around at her apartment, she relished in the quiet and comfortable atmosphere. Team Natsu had to take 2 trains and a carriage to get back to Magnolia yesterday, which meant Natsu was still recovering from his overdose of motion sickness with Happy at his side. Erza and Grey went off on a mission together at the request of a client, reducing the number of regular distractions she found crammed in her apartment.

“I’m all fired up!” She shouted to no one as she started hammering out her ideas for her next chapter. A high pitched whistle sound screamed from the kitchen. Smiling, Lucy put down her pen again to fix her tea. She grabbed her favorite mug, ivory white and covered with gold stars, and poured the steaming water over the tea bag. Two sugar cubes quickly dissolved into the hot liquid, as she stirred her tea and removed the tea bag. She picked up her mug and headed back to her desk.   
  
“Okay round two!”  She started working some more, her pen scrawling across the page. Her fingers wrapped around her mug bringing her to tea to her lips, the hot liquid burning the tip of her tongue.   
  
“H-Ho-Hot!” She stuttered as she set the mug down, fanning her scorched tongue. _If Natsu was here, he would have gulped that scalding tea down like it was nothing._ She thought. She shook her head, knocking the thought away. Lucy corrected her thoughts. _If Natsu was here, I wouldn’t be able to write which I need to get back to._

Pushing her tea as far away from her so it could cool, she picked up her pen and got back to work. Or at least, she tried to. It was harder to get her mind back to her story. Her mind was drifting around, making it hard to focus. Her great brainstorming period had left her.   
  
“Ugh,” she moaned, aggravated with herself. Leaning back in her chair, her gaze drifted towards the window. It looked like a gorgeous day, bright blue skies and puffy clouds filling the frame. _Maybe that’s what I need._ Lucy thought. _Some fresh air to fuel my inspiration._ She stood up and walked towards a full length mirror to check her appearance. Even though she was taking a day off, it didn’t mean she could take a day off from dressing cute. Her outfit consisted of a pale pink dress she had bought specifically from the Heart Kruz line because the color matched her guild mark perfectly. She tied her long blond hair up in her signature side pony tail, using a red ribbon to hold the hair in place. Slipping on some tan booties and strapping her keys around her right thigh, Lucy was ready to go.

Lucy stood on the street outside her building, not sure where to go. If she went right it would lead her to the guild. Not that she minded seeing her fellow guild mates, but she knew if she went to Fairy Tail she wouldn’t be able to get any work done. It would be really chaotic, knowing her guild mates, she would get roped into it. She loved her guild, but she had already decided that today was devoted to her other love: her writing.  
  
She turned her back and headed left. The road took her to the business section of Magnolia. A lot of the shops were filled with customers, buying many things Lucy wished she could afford. After paying her rent and buying groceries, she had hardly any money left. _I’ll worry about making money tomorrow._ Lucy thought as she continued on her stroll.  She spied an advertisement for a super deluxe strawberry parfait in a café window and nearly drooled. She wanted to try it so badly. Strawberry was one of her favorite flavors. Looking through the café window, she saw a waitress bring the exact parfait to a table. It was bigger than she thought it would be. She could hardly finish it off by herself. _Natsu and Happy would eat that in one bite. They wouldn’t even think twice, before shoveling it down._ She laughed to herself and stopped. She was doing it again. She needed to be thinking about things for her novel, not about her team mates.

Suddenly she realized her stroll was not as productive as she thought it would be. Lucy needed somewhere without all these mental distractions. Being around her team mates for so long, even when they weren’t here, they were still distracting her. She had to think of a place that she could go that wouldn’t remind her of them, some place where she could think and write in peace.  
  
“That’s it!” She shouted when the idea came to her. Looking around, she noticed some of the people had stopped to stare at her. Realizing she had spoken out loud, Lucy blushed profusely as she scurried away. She started walking towards an area of Magnolia she hardly came to. There was a bunch of older looking buildings crammed together on either side of the road. Many of the places were dark and shut off. Yet, Levy had told Lucy there was supposed to be an amazing old bookstore here. It had a bunch of great books that one could buy at discounted prices. She stopped outside a building with a worn sign that read: Book Haven. _Appropriately named and just what I was looking for_ , Lucy thought as she stared at the building. Besides Levy, books would not remind her of any of her guild mates. _Natsu wouldn’t even know what to do in a bookstore. He would just-_ Lucy ran inside the bookstore before she continued thinking about him. _No more distractions._ She chided herself as she opened the door.

A soft tinkling sound filled the air as she pushed open the door. Lucy looked around the store already falling in love with the place. There were books everywhere, stacked neatly on shelves, piled in corners, towering along the walls, the store seemed like a treasure trove for bibliophiles like her. _No wonder Levy recommended this place_. However, looking around there wasn’t a soul in sight. Looking back at the door, the open sign was still facing out. Shrugging, Lucy started walking down a random aisle, loving the feeling of being surrounded by books. Her hand trailed the shelves, skimming the spines of the novels. She stopped at a book that caught her eye. It looked worn with time instead of misuse. Pulling it off the shelf, she noticed the leather cover the pages was slightly cracked and faded. She peered harder at it, trying to see what the title could be. She spied a comfy looking chair next to a lamp nearby and walked over to it. Sitting down, she held the book to the light to see if she could make out the letter better. Try as she might, the title was completely gone.

Opening the book, she noticed there was no title page. The story just started.

“That’s weird,” she muttered, her eyes already skimming the first few sentences. She hadn’t thought to bring her magic reading glasses, otherwise she would have finished this book instantly. Settling into the chair, Lucy started to read the mysterious book in order to figure out what it was about. 

****_Once upon a time, there was a young maiden who lived in a luxurious house in the country. There she lived with her father and mother, happily spending her days listening to her mother read stories full of adventures, romance, and magic. However, her favorite stories were the ones about the Knights. The Knights were heroic, brave, and courageous individuals who would travel the country saving damsels in the distress, slaying monsters, and fighting for justice. Her mother would tell her the Knights would always come to those in need, and she ever needed help a Knight would be there to save her. The young maiden believed her mother’s words, carrying that belief even after her mother died, taking the stories with her.  
Life after her mother’s death darkened. The maiden’s father grew more distant, throwing himself into his work. The maiden would spend her days lost in her imagination. She became one of the Knights her mother always told her about, saving damsels, slaying monsters, and protecting the weak. On her 17 th birthday, the young maiden’s father decreed she was to wed. Her fiancé was a young lord from across the sea. It would be a great business success for his company if she were to align herself with him. The young lord possessed the necessary raw materials needed to increase production of their company’s goods. Her father informed him that the young lord was somewhat of a brute, but it was a small matter if she just obeyed his every command.   
Horrified of her future prospects, the young maiden pleaded with her father to find another means of securing the raw materials he needed. She didn’t want to marry a man she didn’t know, or leave the only home she has ever known. Her father wouldn’t listen to her and locked her in her room until the wedding. The young maiden cried and cried, wishing her mother was still alive. She called on the Knights to come to her aid. Surely being married against your will was the sort of injustice they fought against. She would look out her window, believing, hoping that the Knights would save her. Yet, the night before her wedding she realized no one was going to save her. She had to save herself.   
The young maiden escaped from her room and fled from her home. She hated leaving the place where her mother and she had spent so many happy days. Yet, she knew she carried those treasured memories within her heart so she didn’t look back._  
  
Lucy paused and reflected on what she had read. She was already entranced by the story, memories and emotions of her own past were stirring up. She felt for the young maiden, knowing firsthand how difficult it is to leave your home. Though, she agreed with what the maiden believed.

“You always carry the memories you treasure in your heart.” Lucy agreed aloud and she continued reading the story.   
  
**_The young maiden realized that she couldn’t sit around waiting for the Knights to come. If she wanted to meet them, she would have to find them herself. She didn’t know where to start looking for the Knights; her mother’s stories didn’t exactly give a location. “It’s an adventure,” she said to encourage herself. “My first, very own adventure.”_**

**_The town she came to reminded her of the ones her mother use to read to her about. The air was filled with spices and sweets and savory smells. There were many different shops, selling goods she never even heard about. From far off lands, tables and windows were filled with trinkets and valuables. All around her, people were shouting and enticing, calling for potential customers to come check out their products. The young maiden spun in circles, trying to fill her eyes with everything she saw. It seemed so magical. It was like she stepped into one of the stories that she loved so much._ **

**_Before she could get caught up in it all, she reminded herself that she was there to search for the Knights. Certainly with so many people here, at least one of them had to know where she could find the Knights. With a new determination, she went up to the first person she saw. He was a dashing figure in armor, surrounded by a crowd of women. The young maiden took this as a sign that he was friendly and wouldn’t mind helping her out. She waded through the crowd, politely making her way to the front. One of the women pushed her causing her to trip forward. She stumbled, but before she scraped against the hard cobblestone, a strong arm was around her waist, stopping her fall. Looking up, she saw that it was the dashing looking man. Up close, he looked exactly like how she imagined the Knights to look like. With kind eyes, chiseled features, and a warm smile, she knew instantly that he could help her. “My lovely maiden, please do be careful,” He cooed. “As a Knight, I have sworn to protect maidens such as yourself from all dangers and my heart would break if you were to injure yourself.”_ **

**_She was in shock. Standing before her was the very person she had been dreaming of meeting her whole life. He was a Knight! All of her mother’s stories had been true. Her heart was so full of joy at this realization, tears started bubbling over, running down her cheeks. The Knights face quickly contorted and he picked the maiden up in his arms scurrying her away from the crowded street, entering a dark alley way. “Please stop crying my dear,” The Knight set her down on a wooden crate. “People would start believing that Knights went around making fair maidens such as yourself burst into tears.”_ **

**_Her tears dried instantly, not wanting to ruin the reputation of her beloved Knights. He sighed in relief as the girl wiped the tears away from her eyes. “There now, that’s better. No more tears to ruin that lovely smile. Now where are you parents? I must return you to them at once. There are dangers that lurk in these streets that wouldn’t think twice of kidnapping you. Let us be off.” The Knight extended his hand to her, but the girl shrunk away from it. The idea of returning to her father terrified her. Returning to him meant being caged and shipped off to a foreign land with a brute for a husband. She shivered at the thought. It had only been a few days since she left her home, but what she had seen of the world had created a hunger she didn’t know she could have. She wanted to see more of it. She wanted to experience so many things. Life beyond the walls of her home, life beyond the pages of her books, was so sublimely real that she wanted to absorb it all. She knew she could never go back to that caged life. Not after the world had colored her._ **

**_“Please,” she begged the Knight. “Take me with you. I want to become a Knight!” After waiting to be saved for so long, in order to truly break away from the cage her father wanted to lock her in, the young maiden had to develop the strength to save herself and use it so save others just like her. The Knight stared at her, blinking in shock at her requests. He smiled softly at her, reaching boldly to tuck behind her ear, a stray hair that fallen across her face._ **

**_“Maidens dream of being saved by Knights, not to become them. If all the maidens start to rescue themselves, what need would there be for Knights,” he reasoned._ **

**_“There will always be a need,” she argued. “My home was once a cheerful place, full of love and stories of the adventures and great deeds of the Knights. I fell in love with the Knights and knew that one day they would come rescue me if I was ever in need. Yet, when my home no longer knew happiness and I was about to be shipped away to another cage, I prayed and called for the Knights to rescue me. But they never came.”_ **

**_“We Knights try but we cannot save everyone,“ He looked away uncomfortably, not meeting her eyes._ **

**_“That’s exactly it! That’s exactly why I want to become a Knight. I realized I had to face this on my own. That I did have the strength to save myself, even if it meant leaving a place I once loved dearly. I want to become stronger, so that I can save those who can’t save themselves. I know it will be hard and there will be difficulties along the way. I understand and will do all I can to improve myself so that others can rely on me.” The maiden bowed her head low, tears spilling out her eyes once more. She hadn’t known how desperately she wanted this. Her heart was pounding hard within her chest, every beat magnifying her feelings. This was the path she was meant to walk. “Please,” she breathed. “Let me become a Knight.” The young maiden kept her head bowed; her body shaking after releasing her feelings._ **

Lucy’s eyes tore across the pages. Her grip tightened around the book. Her heart was beating faster as she absorbed each word. The young maiden’s feelings were resonating within her. Finding the inner strength to save yourself, to step into a new world, was something she experienced as well. She was routing for the young maiden to become a Knight. She believed in her dream of becoming a Knight.

_For a moment the Knight was silent. “How can I ignore a girl who speaks with such passion,” he finally spoke. “I’ll let you become a Knight.” Her head shot up, looking into his eyes that beamed down at her._

**_“Really,” She breathed, not believing she would ever hear those words._ **

**_“Yes, but there are few things we need to do in order to secure you new position. Come with me and we’ll get you all signed up.”_ **

**_A smile broke across her face, as she took the hand he offered her. I’m going to become a Knight. The thought filled her with so much joy she could hardly contain herself. She let the Knight lead her down several streets, listening to him as he spoke of all the grand adventures she would have. He heart was about to burst with the anticipation. She would see the world. She would become strong. She would be able to save others. She would become a Knight._ **

**_It was in a far part of the town that the Knight led the young maiden. The buildings were rougher and fewer people walked the streets. The ones that did glared at them, or looked at her with a stranger hunger in their eyes. Bringing courage into her heart, the young maiden schooled her features from showing fear, though her body would not stop shaking. They finally stopped in front an inn. The Knight held the door for her as he ushered her inside. Once inside, he directed her past the tables, filled with questionable characters to an empty spot at the back. He told her to wait why he spoke with a man to draw up the necessary papers so she could become a Knight. She nodded in response and watched as he disappeared to the back._ **

**_Once the Knight was gone, the false courage she had willed inside herself completely disappeared. She tried to not make eye contact with anyone, flicking her eyes around the room to observe anything else._ **

**_“No money. No food. No service. Those are the rules.” A gruff man yelled at a cloaked individual at the bar. The air of authority he was emitting made her believe that he was the owner of the inn. She could hear the stomach growls of the person from her spot in the back. Standing from her table, she moved towards them. She didn’t have much money herself, but she was about to become a Knight. She had often read that they could live comfortably off the charity of the people. Knights were often being invited to stay with families or given meals for their heroic actions._ **

**_“E-Excuse me,” she said meekly once she got to the counter. Her hand was outstretched with all the money she possessed. “Would this cover his meal?” The man eyed her with a heavy glare, but snatched the money from her hand. He turned around and came back a moment later with plate full of food and a mug of ale, slamming the contents down in front of the cloaked figure. He walked away, grumbling to himself. The maiden turned to return to her table, but the cloaked figure gripped her wrist. She paused, shocked by his sudden contact. The person removed the hood of the cloak, revealing a man with silver hair and green eyes. He smiled at her as he switched his grip from her wrist to her hand. “Thank you, but what is a kind maiden like yourself doing in place full of criminals?” He asked._ **

**_“I-I’m going to become a Knight,” she whispered, smiling back at him. She didn’t know if that was supposed to be a secret, considering her current location and nothing was official yet. Her excitement was still bubbling and she had to tell someone._ **

**_“A Knight?” The man lifted his eyebrows in shock._ **

**_“Yes, I met one earlier and he’s going to help me become one. He’s around here going somewhere to get the paperwork I need.”_ **

**_“So you want to become a famous Knight and have stories written about you across the land?” The man laughed, letting go of her hand._ **

**_“No,” she protested. “I don’t care if no one ever remembered my name. I don’t need stories told about me. I know I’m weak but if I could help just one person, if I could be one person’s strength, then that is all that matters to me.”_ **

**_“You-“_ **

**_“There you are,” the Knight called out to her, cutting off the man before he could finish speaking. The Knight guided her away from the man she had helped and to a set of stairs leading to the upper level. “Your paperwork is ready,” he explained as they ascended the steps. The walked to the end of the hallway to a closed room. The Knight knocked 3 times, before the door opened a crack._ **

**_“Howling Fear,” the Knight spoke and the door flew open. He ushered her in quickly, before the door closed and locked behind them._ **

**_“Is it a match?” The Knight gripped her shoulder as he spoke, addressing a man who sat a desk by a window with a torn curtain covering it. The man held up a piece of paper to the young maiden’s face and smiled. She noticed that he was missing several teeth, but the real terrifying thing was the paper he held in his hands. Looking back at her was an image of her with a description._ **

**_“It’s a match,” the man confirmed. In a blur of movements, the Knight’s grip on her shoulder tightened causing her to cry out in pain. He turned her around and his dashing appearance were distorted by an evil filter. He looked at her with hunger in his eyes and a dark glint shining in them. He shoved her to the other man, and she felt ropes binding her wrists together. She gasped when he shoved her to her knees, binding her ankles together as well._ **

**_“What’s going on?” She managed to ask before a gag was shoved into her mouth._ **

**_“You haven’t realized yet? Well of course you haven’t. You’re a spoiled rich girl who ran away from home still dreaming about the Knights.” The man she thought was a Knight laughed menacingly at her before he continued. “Your father put out a very hefty reward for whoever brought you back. When I saw you in town I knew you were the girl I was looking for. When I heard you asking around about the Knights, I just knew if I impersonated one, you would come running to me. I wasn’t expecting your heartfelt confession, but that plus the match to this flier was all I needed to secure my reward.”_ **

**_“Our reward,” the other man reminded him. “I helped with this too.”_ **

**_“Yes. Yes.” The man opened the door. “Watch her while I’ll go secure us some transportation and you and I will be set for life. Make sure she doesn’t try anything silly. She did run away once, let’s not allow her to run away from us.”_ **

**_The man left, leaving the young maiden alone with his partner. The false Knight had no need to worry though. The young maiden was shattered by his words. She wanted to cry, but the shock of his words stopped any tears from falling. There was a numbness growing within her, something she hadn’t felt since her mother had passed away. She couldn’t escape. What good could that be? Her father would just find her and drag her back. And the Knights? They were just merely fairy tales, mere fiction and myth. Nothing and no one could save her now. Not even herself._ **

“No,” Lucy breathed _._ All this time she had been pulling for the maiden. She wanted her to become a Knight and the Knight’s betrayal had hurt her too. Tears pricked her eyes and fell for the maiden’s sake. It couldn’t end like this? It couldn’t be the end of her dreams? Lucy didn’t want it to. She wanted to stop reading, upset that the book could only build up to this moment. It was too painful, but she turned the page and continued to read, despite the growing heart ache.

**_Three knocks sounded on the door again, and the man went and opened the door a crack._ **

**_“Did you forget somethi-“_ **

**_The door was kicked open and the man was sent sprawling backwards. He was knocked out. Her bounds were cut and the gag was removed from her mouth, yet she still didn’t look up. The young maiden was so dejected she did not care what happened to her next. It didn’t matter anymore. She couldn’t escape the cage her father had created for her. Why should she try escaping anything else?_ **

**_“Why aren’t you escaping?” A familiar voice asked._ **

**_“What’s the point?” She responded. “I’m weak. I’ll just get caught again.”_ **

**_“I thought you wanted to become a Knight?”_ **

**_The young maiden remembered her dreams, and the hope she had that she could make them come true. The reminder that they could never come true sent a fresh wave of pain to her heart. Tears spilled from her eyes as she answered, “I can’t become a Knight,” she cried. “How can I save others when I can’t even save myself?”_ **

**_“You saved me,” the voice replied. “I thought saving one person was enough?”_ **

**_The maiden looked up, her eyes growing wide in shock. It was the man she had helped earlier. The silver hair green eyed stranger who didn’t have enough money for food. His cloak was discarded, and he was wearing a black tunic and wielding a blue sword. Sheathing his sword, he smiled down at her as he offered her a hand._ **

**_“I apologize, but I needed the man calling himself a Knight to let his guard down before I could take care of him,” He explained as he helped her up. “I also needed to know where his accomplice was located so that they could both be arrested.” A team of guards came in, taking the unconscious man away in handcuffs. Blinking the girl just stared up at him in shock. She couldn’t really comprehend what was happening._ **

**_“Why are you doing all of this?” She asked bewildered._ **

**_“I swore an oath to protect those who are in need of my service, to offer my protection, my sword, and my strength to all who seek it as a Knight.”_ **

**_“You’re-You’re a Knight?” She breathed. At first glance, this man didn’t look anything like the stories predicted. He was lean and wispy looking. He didn’t look like he could hurt a fly. But he had done it, hadn’t he? He had saved her. “How am I supposed to believe you?” She questioned. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. The man laughed as he unsheathed his sword._ **

**_“All true Knights are bequeathed with a sword made of Blue Adamant by his majesty. It is only mined in the tunnels beneath the castle, so thus this has become the mark of a true Knight.”_ **

**_Right before her eyes, stood a true Knight. Her stories were all wrong. They weren’t dashing men running around the kingdom saving damsels from dragons and every form of injustice in the land. That might be true, but some of them were cloaked figures who couldn’t even afford a meal in a rundown inn._ **

**_“Come on, let’s go,” the Knight said leading her out of the room._ **

**_“I don’t want to go back!” She yelled, ripping her hand away from his._ **

**_“Go back?”_ **

**_“I don’t want to go back to the walls, the solitude, the sadness. I don’t want to be caged anymore. I want to live a life I decide, even if…even if I can’t become a Knight….” The maiden trailed off crying a fresh wave of tears. The man just stared at her, smiling softly._ **

**_“Who said you couldn’t become a Knight?”_ **

**_She looked at him, eyes widening in disbelief. “But I thought-“_ **

**_“Or was all that talk about becoming a Knight just talk?” He crossed his arms, and tilted his head as he asked._ **

**_“No! I want to become Knight!” She shouted back; her heart shouting out its deepest wish._ **

**_“Then come with me.” The Knight sheathed his sword and offered her his hand. She took it happily and allowed him to lead her from the room and onto her next adventure. For the first time in a very long time, the maiden felt a happiness surge through her. Her heart felt like it would explode. She was going to decide her life, her future, not as scared maiden, but as a Knight of the realm._ **

Her eyes were streaming with tears as she closed the book. The story of the young maiden had really touched Lucy’s heart. She was so happy for her that the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Here you go my dear,” an elderly man stood before Lucy offering her a tissue. She took it kindly, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. “You must have really enjoyed that book.”

“Yes,” she beamed, looking back down at the book she held tenderly in her hands. “I haven’t read a story like this in a long time.”

“These types of stories are the ones that stay with us, long after we’ve read them,” The old man nodded.

“Exactly! I won’t forget this story. It touched my heart,” Lucy exclaimed. “ I just wish I knew who the author was or the story’s title.” Her hand rubbed the space where the title should have been, but time had long since erased it.

“You see this is a particularly unique book,” the old man began to explain. “It has more than one author and more than one story. It is the reader’s heart that decides which story the book will tell, so it can’t be titled.”

“A magic book!” That would explain the strange pull she had when she first encountered the book. She felt it was calling to her, as if she needed to read it.

“It is magic that unites the book, the author, and the reader together. It is a truly special piece of literature.” The old man reached down and stroked the book’s spine. Lucy looked down again at the book she held in her hands. It had read her heart, and it gave her this story. It wanted her to read it. No wonder she had felt so close to the characters, why she felt so strongly for the maiden and why she was so touched by the story.

Standing from the chair, Lucy smiled at the old man handing him the book. “Thank you sir,” she smiled. “I came in here thinking I needed to escape from my distractions, but I was reminded of something important.”

The old man took the book from Lucy, but returned it to her. “A gift,” he responded to Lucy’s wide-eyed expression. She smiled at him again nodding her thanks.

“Thank you,” she waved at him as she exited the store. Lucy hurried down the street, wanting to find her teammates as soon as possible. They were loud, obnoxious and pulled on every one of Lucy’s nerves, but they were her inspirations to write.

“Lucy!” She paused as someone called out her name. Turning around she was able to brace herself as a ball of blue fur hurled itself at her.

“Happy!”

“We’ve finally found you,” Happy cried, nuzzling his head against her chest.  “Natsu and I have been looking for you all day. Where did you go?”

“I went to a bookstore,” she explained as she tried to balance her book and Happy in her arms.

“ A bookstore? We thought you were kidnapped! No body at the guild had seen you and you weren’t at your apartment. Natsu traced your scent to this street, but it completely disappeared. We were so worried,” Happy cried harder recounting their earlier efforts to find her.

Lucy smiled softly at him, holding him closer. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were searching for me. I just got lost in a really good book.”

“It figures you would hang around stuffy old books instead of with us,” Natsu appeared from around the corner, his arms crossed his chest. His facial expression was slightly annoyed, but she could see the glint of worry disappearing from his eyes. “After all you do want to become a writer or something. Your latest chapter wasn’t that bad either.”

“You read my novel!” Lucy yelled momentarily irritated that Natsu was going through her things again.

“We were searching for clues,” Happy explained flying out of her arms, hovering over them.

“Is this the book,” Natsu plucked the book from her hands and started flipping through the pages.

“Hey!” Lucy protested reaching back for it.

“I didn’t know you liked reading about dragons Lucy,” Natsu exclaimed, his eyes still glued to the book.

“Dragons?” Lucy stopped trying to get the book and stared at Natsu. “It’s about a young maiden searching for the Knights,” She corrected.

“I thought you said you could read Luce,” Natsu peaked at her from above the book, giving her a questionable look. “It’s clearly about small dragon that got lost from his family. It’s actually kind of good,” His eyes continue to scan the pages. Lucy remembered the old man’s words as he described the book as a connecting the story with the author and the reader. She finally understood it. Natsu closed the book and grabbed Lucy’s wrist, leading her down the street.

“Where are we going?” She asked, trying to keep up with him.

“Back to your place, duh,” Natsu explained, turning town another street that led to her apartment. “I want you to read me this book.”

“You’re great at telling stories Lucy,” Happy stated as he flew alongside them.

“Come on Lucy,” Natsu cheered as they hurried them along. “I want to know what happens next.”

“Me too,” Lucy laughed, suddenly inspired to write again. She allowed herself to be pulled along, as the trio raced down the streets of Magnolia to another story.

****

****

**Author's Note:**

> This was a half finished idea I had that I forgot I started writing. I had this overwhelming need to finish it today. It's a little rough, but at least it's out of my system. Hope you enjoy. :)


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